Oklahoma City is back in the Western Conference Finals, and its superstar should be ready for a big performance.
Over the next few days, the Thunder will continue preparing for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals next week. Still awaiting their opponent, the Thunder know that they're in for their toughest test yet against either the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves.
While the biggest story of Round 3 will likely be the return of Jalen Williams, the MVP also has a chance to make his mark on the conference finals. Last season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put together one of the best individual seasons in recent memory, and a good conference finals could put him in position to do so again.
Almost certainly receiving his second MVP trophy at some point next round, Gilgeous-Alexander will also have a chance to secure another Western Conference Finals MVP. After a series against the Lakers that was lackluster in the box score by his standards, Gilgeous-Alexander could be ready to impose his will against whichever team makes it to the next round.
Against Los Angeles, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 24.5 points, 6.3 assists and 3.8 turnovers per game, all worse than his first round and regular season numbers. Of course, JJ Redick threw a myriad of complex coverages at Gilgeous-Alexander, which he adjusted well to after a rough Game 1.
Eventually putting things together and closing out the series with a 35-point night, Gilgeous-Alexander clearly has the ability to get better as a series goes along. Considering the conference finals could be a drawn-out fight if the Spurs advance, getting progressively better production from the MVP could be critical for the Thunder.
Ultimately, the return of Williams and the continued excellent play of Ajay Mitchell could keep the Thunder's next opponent from simply throwing the kitchen sink at the MVP and living with the results from the "others." However, as the best player in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander is almost certain to never see simple 1-on-1 coverage against a conference finals opponent.
Still, nothing that gets thrown at Gilgeous-Alexander will be new or unfamiliar after everything he's seen over the past couple of years. Add in his clear trust in his teammates, and Gilgeous-Alexander's playstyle will make it even more difficult to simply key in on him.
There's no guarantee that different coverages will suddenly bring Gilgeous-Alexander back to an absurdly efficient 31-point average, but he's played at this stage before, and he knows exactly what it will take to get back to the mountaintop.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/thunder/onsi as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Poised for Bounce-Back Series in WCF.
